Pomfret Towers cover art

Pomfret Towers

 Preview

Get 30 days of Premium Plus free

£8.99/month after 30-day free trial. Cancel monthly.
Try for £0.00
More purchase options
Buy Now for £12.99

Buy Now for £12.99

About this listen

Pomfret Towers, Barsetshire seat of the earls of Pomfret, was constructed, with great pomp and want of concern for creature comforts, in the once-fashionable style of Sir Gilbert Scott's St Pancras station. It makes a grand setting for a house party at which gamine Alice Barton and her brother, Guy, are honoured guests, mixing with the headstrong Rivers family, the tally-ho Wicklows, and, most charming of all, Giles Foster, nephew and heir of the present Lord Pomfret. But whose hand will Mr Foster seek in marriage, and who will win Alice's tender heart?

Angela Thirkell's classic 1930s comedy is lively, witty, and deliciously diverting.

©1938 The Estate of Angela Thirkell (P)2015 Rockethouse Productions Ltd Classics Romance Romantic Comedy Comedy Heartfelt Witty Italy

Critic reviews

"Angela Thirkell is perhaps the most Pym-like of any twentieth-century author, after Pym herself." (Alexander McCall Smith)
"A perfect balance of satirical observation and chocolate-box charm.... Thirkell's novel is one of the cosiest and funniest reads this winter." ( The Lady)
All stars
Most relevant
I was delighted to see that Angela Thirkell's books are being released on audio in the UK (they've been available in the USA for some time), but I wonder why a different narrator has been used for this one, than for Wild Strawberries. Yonnie Fraser does not do a good job of this (unlike the really wonderful Hilary Neville, who narrates Wild Strawberries). Her character voices are all slightly wrong, and she has a slightly jerky and monotonous way of reading that is very offputting. It spoiled what is one of my favourite Thirkell novels.

Wonderful Book, Poor Narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
A very well read and intelligent book which gave much pleasure.
Not perhaps to everyone’s taste, but thoughtfully portraying human feelings and situations, amusingly, and an interesting portrayal of a life and mores of that time and situation.

An excellent read.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Why can’t producers ensure they get someone who understands what they read and engages with the text? Thirkell’s irony is lost in the reading here, though admittedly this novel is not among her best and does have an irritating main character. I keep trying to listen to this recording but the narrator makes it unbearable.

Awful narrator

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.